Bahrain

Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an absolute monarchy and island nation in the Persian Gulf region, being the smallest Arab state. It has been ruled by the Al Khalifa dynasty since 1783, after the Bani Utbah clan captured the island. Bahrain has been a protectorate of the United Kingdom since the late 1800s to 1971. Formerly a state, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002. The country has a population of about 1,300,000 people, of which more than half are foreigners.